Under a Paper Moon
by TheDoctorsConstantCompanion
Summary: A new wolf, desperate for a new pack, arrives in Beacon Hills. She not only finds one, but finds a boy, and soon enough they're living under a paper moon.
1. Chapter 1

The forest, unfamiliar as it was, was still Adelaide's home.

Dodging through the trees, she ran. Faster and faster, yet she still couldn't run out of breath. Her hands and feet brushed the ground alternately, barely touching the hard packed dirt. Only when she needed to lunge over a boulder or a fallen tree would she dig her claws into the ground. She could sense the obstacle, way before it was in her way. Just like she could sense the one she was searching for.

There was an Alpha near. A new one, she could tell. He was still gaining power, but could be considered weak. That was, when compared to her old Alpha.

She came to a halt, impatiently brushing the fallen hair out of her face with the edges of her claws. Her breathing deepened, more of an emotional response than any necessity. She shut her eyes, attempting to slow it again. Losing her sense of sight heightened her already alert senses. Every rustles of leaves and every squirrel's footstep could be heard. One breath told her that she was fast approaching a city, the asphalt and smog were a dead giveaway. It clouded the freshness of the forest, the pure nature that made Adelaide feel as strong as she could possibly be. Opening her eyes again, she ran forward, this time on foot. Within minutes, she was at the edge of the wood, on top of an overhang that over looked the town below.

It was larger than she expected, and the night air was warm around her. She'd been running longer than she remembered. Eyes darting across the lights that would make the town visible even to human eyes, she saw one name that almost every building or sign had in common.

"Beacon Hills"

So, this was where the nearest pack was. Adelaide stuck a hand on her hip, scanning the city. It was too far for her to tell where exactly the Alpha and his pack were residing. She bit her lip, already imagining what her new living quarters would end up being. Back in Oregon, her pack spent their days in an abandoned, but heavily reinforced, warehouse on the edge of town. It was supposed to be safe from hunters...

She tore herself away from the edge, heading back into the forest. This time, she ran with her eyes completely shut, following the scent she'd caught in a waft of humid air. Trees wouldn't be a problem, her instinct told her when to turn and get out of the way. Coming to a halt, she opened her eyes. She now stood in front of what must have once been an extravagant manor. The basic structure was still standing, but everything that would have made it livable and luxurious was gone. Walls were falling apart and blackened, parts of the roof simply missing.

"Hello?" Adelaide asked doubtfully. She turned her head trying to peer through one of the grey windows. She strained her neck, tilting her ear toward the house. Nothing came from the inside. She scowled, sniffing the air cautiously again.

Werewolves had definitely lived here. Once. The scent had gone stale, like it was the remnants of someone's life that would eventually fade away forever. Adelaide turned away, feeling as if she'd intruded on something private. This place was surrounded by death, and it made her shiver uneasily despite the warmth.

"Time to stop snooping," she whispered to herself, then grinned. Her fangs had retracted by now, claws disappearing as well. Even without a mirror, she could tell that her glowing yellow eyes had faded back to their normal stormy blue. She'd been alone for far too long, talking to herself was just the first of many quirky side effects that came with solitude. She shook her head, glancing upwards. Through a break in the trees, the moon shone. The white, bright against the black, lit the forest in a silvery glow. It was almost full.

Adelaide lowered her gaze back to the forest surrounding her. She couldn't waste any more time sight -seeing. Time to find herself a new home.

So she ran, claws and fangs back out, down towards the scent of the city. Reaching the edge, she paused for a moment to sort out exactly what direction she should head in. Passing through neighborhoods she had to stop once or twice, one time in front of lowly home with one car in the driveway. She could sense a wolf was living there, probably asleep judging by the time of night. But it wasn't the Alpha she was looking for. Or a part of it's pack. She couldn't believe it... this wolf wasn't even an Omega.

"What...are you?" she whispered into the darkness, staring up at the dark window that faced the street.

A pair of startled eyes appeared through the frame, flashing from brown to yellow. Adelaide gasped, running off down the street before the owner of the eyes had a chance to register her passing. She chided herself, vowing not to stop again until she found the Alpha.

And she did. She kept going until she knew for certain that she'd found the dwelling of the Alpha. It was unexpected, but she found her self in front of an abandoned subway car. And her presence didn't go unnoticed. She saw four shapes rising from inside the car, only one of them emerging.

The man walked toward her, his eyes glowing red. He held himself with poise. Despite the fact that she could tell he was new, he must already be accustomed to the power. Everything about him was dark, from his hair to his clothing. Except when he smiled, startling Adelaide. The grin was wide as his hazel eyes assessed the half wolf in front of him, the teeth brilliant. They continued to shine as he opened his mouth to speak.

"What have we here?" He strode forward, folding his thick arms in front of his chest. His voice was as deep and commanding as his presence. Glancing behind the intimidating man in front of her, she saw three curious pairs of eyes staring out at her from various cracks in the subway car. She cleared her throat, which was suddenly very dry.

"My name is Adelaide Black," she stuck her hand out awkwardly in front of herself. The man looked down at her hand, eyebrows raised. Confused, she glanced down. She silently cursed herself, retracting her claws quickly before re-extending her arm. "And I'm looking for a pack."

This sparked the man's interest. His thick eyebrows climbed even further up his forehead, though his eyes themselves remained skeptical.

"Really now?" His arms were still crossed, leaving Adelaide to bring her own hand back to her side, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "What happened to your own pack? Did you desert them?" He started to walk toward her, squinting at her. "Or perhaps, were you thrown out?"

"Neither." She held her ground, staring back up into his eyes. It must've looked comical to the others. Her height made her look like a child compared to the figure towering over her. She set her jaw solidly, a determined habit of hers whenever she felt slighted. "Everyone's dead. Everyone except for me."

"And how did that happen, exactly?" The man refused to move.

"Hunters." She said it simply, refusing to let the memories of massacre cloud her again.

The man's eyes softened slightly. He understood. She could hear his heartbeat speeding and smiled. So, he'd decided that perhaps he could trust her.

"I'm Derek Hale." He turned his body to the side, gesturing with one of his arms for the others to come out of the car.

First, a thick, black boy emerged. He walked forward to stand on Derek's left side, giving an encouraging smile when he met Adelaide's eyes.

"This is Boyd," the Alpha introduced him. "And here comes Erica."

A girl came out of the car next, a girl that Adelaide knew instantly she would never trust completely. She was utterly gorgeous, but that wasn't the problem. Adelaide could handle girls with the beautiful big eyes, long blonde hair, and curvy figure. She had the curvy figure herself, jealousy wasn't the issue. It was the manipulative way she moved, the way this girl was eyeing her like she was assessing her for a weakness. Then again, that was probably a skill that could come in handy.

After Erica, the tallest of all the werewolves in this pack emerged out of the door. He strutted forward, walking with a tilt that gave him a look of conceited grace. His jawline, under a mop of dark gold curls, was so intriguing that Adelaide couldn't help but outline it with her eyes before studying the rest of his face. His eyebrows arched high on his face above a pair of large, brilliant blue eyes... that were staring right back at hers. She bit her lip, blushing before returning her gaze to Derek, pretending not to notice how this boy took his place on Derek's right.

"And this is Isaac. These are my pack." Derek seemed to be oblivious to Adelaide's odd reaction to his Beta. "Are you sure you'd like to join?"

She could tell he was just asking as a formality. The more wolves in his pack, the better. Power was everything to this species. She nodded.

"Alright. We'll get you caught up on how things work in this town in the morning. For now, get settled. Make yourself at home." The Alpha gave another wide grin, spreading his arms to gesture the subway car again. "Meanwhile, you might as well get to know each other."

Adelaide nodded again, slower this time. She was eyeing the pack again, determinedly avoiding Isaac's powerful gaze. They all seemed to be looking at her indifferently, neither like a friend or a foe. One by one, as if on cue, they started back into the subway. Looking back at Derek, she gave a quizzical expression. It was his turn to nod, toward the car. Understanding, she followed her new pack into her new home.


	2. Chapter 2

Lying consistently is a very human quality. A quality that isn't lost, apparently, when you're not human anymore.

It was obvious to Adelaide as she sat in one of the few intact subway seats left, listening to the pack filling her in on their lives. There was tension between them, as if Boyd and Erica were on one side and Isaac on another. No one addressed it or bothered acknowledging it for her sake. Instead it sat, the most obvious elephant right smack in the middle of the room. Yet they continued talking. The pair were providing their stories but Adelaide could tell that there were only tidbits of truth in them.

"I used to be epileptic." Erica had said. That was true.

"I'd only accepted Derek's offer after considering all the consequences, of course." Erica had said. That was not.

If only it were always that simple. Being offered a choice. Not having lycanthropy forced upon you. Adelaide's shoulder began to burn, a familiar feeling that occurred whenever she remembered it being torn open, ripped to shreds. Her shoulder now, obviously, was completely clear of imperfections. But she could still remember the fear of running away, stumbling over tree roots and rocks in the damp forest. Remembered the hot breath against her neck right after being knocked to the ground, and right before it took it's bite. The teeth against her flesh was like no other pain, so much so that she lost consciousness completely. From that moment on, Adelaide was no longer the girl she had grown up to be. And would never be the one she'd dreamed of becoming.

She was shaken out of her train of thought when she heard a new voice pipe up. Isaac, the boy with the breathtaking eyes, had decided to tell why he became a werewolf.

"I wanted power." He said it simply, looking right at Adelaide, daring her to be disgusted by the admission.

Boyd and Erica must have been used to this kind of thing. While Adelaide was speechless, they both let out barks of a laugh.

"Yeah, that kid had daddy issues." Boyd said sharply, grinning as he looked at Isaac.

The boy let his lips slide back into smile which didn't reach his eyes, brushing off the remark. The reaction was enough for the others though, who got back into talking about themselves.

"Are there other wolves here?" Adelaide interrupted, annoyed at how easily they could disregard the other. Erica and Boyd turned in their seats, staring at her. "I mean, that aren't in a pack?"

"How did you know?" Isaac spoke again, studying her with an intrigued interest while the others regarded her with a more suspicious look.

"I passed by a house on the way here... Wasn't all that hard to smell them out." She averted her eyes, suddenly self conscious of how they were all looking at her.

The pack all shifted nervously in their seats, Erica and Boyd obviously the most uncomfortable with this Omega. No one wanted to answer, until a voice from behind her made Adelaide twist sharply.

"Scott McCall." Derek stepped into the car, standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Is-is that his name?" She asked after clearing her throat, trying to cover up how startled she was by his appearance. She was rarely scared easily.

"Yes." He withdrew his hands from his pockets, crossing them in front of his chest again and shifting his weight to lean against a rail. He didn't continue.

"He's not one of you." It was obvious, so she said it simply as a statement. Derek nodded. "Why?"

"He has others."

"More wolves?" She was confused. She hadn't picked up on any other scents on her way here. But she supposed, perhaps, this is a pretty large town...

"No."

This was pushing Adelaide over the edge. The one word answers, the mask of mystery... it was easy to see why this Scott wouldn't want to be in the pack.

"He has his own pack, yes." Derek read the annoyance in her face and started back tracking. "But they're human. His own friends."

She furrowed her brow, tearing her gaze away from Derek to look back at the others. They were all watching Derek as well, but obviously had heard this all before. Or saw it first hand. They weren't surprised. Nor were they confused.

She was.

"Scott's like nothing we've ever seen before." The Alpha said it as if it were all the explanation she could ever need. It told her nothing, but the tone of voice made her think that perhaps he was done with this line of conversation.

"So!" Erica threw her hands in the air, her full lips spreading into an uneasy grin and she broke the awkward silence that had settled. "What's your story, Adelaide? What brings you here?"

"I told you already," Adelaide was definitely not okay with conversation starter. "Hunters wiped out my pack."

"A whole pack, though?" Derek asked, his defense back up.

Adelaide looked down at her hands in her lap. She'd been nervously chipping off her nail polish so that there was almost no blue left. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at the pack, seeking out the eyes of the confident boy. She could talk to Isaac, she knew it. And when her blue eyes met his and his mouth twitched up into an encouraging smile, her theory proved true.

"Fire is apparently a very effective pesticide." She spat out, clenching her fists as she awaited their reaction. Oddly, they all looked toward their Alpha again with baited breath.

"Fire, you say?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Yes," Adelaide said, her confidence building. "Our nest, a warehouse, was set on fire by a group of hunters. It started off as an invading attack, them against us in hand-to-hand combat. But when it looked like we were going to win... the whole place was suddenly aflame." She was talking towards the whole pack now. It felt like her soul was getting lighter as she retold the events. Of course, she couldn't exactly describe the scent of her friends' burning flesh or the sounds of their screams being cut off as they choked on the smoke or were sliced with a blade. And it would be a while before she wore something other than a long-sleeve shirt, as her arms were covered in blotchy pink and red spots where her skin was still recovering at a less than normal rate. She pulled down on her sleeves, bringing them down to clench the ends in her fists.

"And you got out?" Boyd piped up. "Seems like a pretty deliberate genocide."

"Obviously she got out," Erica punching him lightly in the arm. "And it wouldn't exactly be genocide, just one pack was attacked."

"But how?" Derek stepped toward Adelaide, ignoring his packs attempts to lighten the situation. "How did you get out of the massacre?"

"I..." Adelaide looked up at his intimidating figure. "I don't know. I think I was pulled out or something."

"You think? But I thought there was no one left in your pack?" Derek's voice took on a demanding tone and he continued to stare down at her, boring holes in her eyes.

"I don't know!" She jumped out of her seat in an effort to feel less like a child, but the reality of the fact was that she was still too short in comparison to him. "It felt like someone had pulled me out with their jaw," she pulled back the collar of her shirt to expose the skin near her neck. There was a clear imprint, as if something had bit into her and pulled, but it was already almost half healed. "But when I finally realized what was happening and that I wasn't in the warehouse anymore, no one was around. When the fire stopped, I tried to look everywhere for someone or something who could've saved me but there was no one!"

The pack was quiet again. Derek stepped back from where Adelaide stood with her chest heaving. He stared at her for a few moments, and she stared back, until he turned on the balls of his feet and strode out of the car. Disbelievingly, she looked towards everyone who was left. Boyd and Erica didn't seem to have an answer for her. Instead, it was Isaac who stood from his seat and walked toward her, placing a hand on her shoulder over the bite mark.

"It's been a long day," He squinted his eyes down toward her, "How's about we get you something to eat before school tomorrow?"


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't long before Adelaide found herself devouring a hamburger in a dingy 24-hour diner a few blocks from the station. She didn't know how long she'd been running from her old home to end up here, but she knew that she hadn't stop to refuel and now she was paying the price. It was like no amount of food was going to be enough and soon her hands, still coated in a light layer of dirt with earth caked beneath the nails, were also covered in the delicious grease.

"Hungry, eh?" A voice came from across the table, falling musically on the girl's ears. She almost forgot that she was in the company of someone else.

"Yeah," Adelaide managed an embarrassed smile before realizing that her mouth was still full. Forcefully, she swallowed the food down before wiping her lips with the back of her hand. Manners were not a priority at the moment. "Everything tastes it's best after midnight."

To her relief, Isaac chuckled, unaffected by her lack of lady-like behavior. He hadn't touched the club sandwich on the plate in front of him. Instead he was studying her, an amused look on his face.

"So, where are you from exactly?" He asked, his voice sounding genuinely curious.

Adelaide put her hamburger back down her plate, what was left of it, anyway. She plucked a napkin from the silver holder at the end of table and started working on cleaning off her hands before she answered.

"Southern Oregon." The grease from the food allowed the dark dirt that had started to crust around her nails to come away easily.

"Oregon? Didn't know there were any wolves up there." Isaac said in a teasing tone, eyes still on her.

"And I didn't know there were wolves in _California._" Adelaide looked up from her hands to let her stormy eyes meet the clear ones across the table. Her lips twitched into a smile and she crinkled her nose as him as she continued. "That is, until I caught your scent. You're a stinky lot, you are."

"Well, when you've got three guys and only one girl in a pack, hygiene becomes less of a priority."

"Two girls now," She pointed out, widening her grin. "I think I'll stay here. You may stink, but I'm tired and I'm sure I could get used to the scent. Maybe it'll become less of a garbage-esque smell, and more of husky cologne?"

"What you're smelling is the scent of victory." Isaac lifted his chin in mock pride, looking down at her through his lashes. Even sitting down, he was much taller than her and she had to look up over the table to make eye contact of any sort.

"Maybe you could use a few losses, just to tone it down a touch?" She smiled again, but instead of receiving another one back, Isaac dropped his head and his shoulders slouched a touch, his expression falling into a serious grimace.

"I wouldn't say that, even jokingly." His voice seemed like it had dropped an octave, no longer flirtatious with a tone of musicality. It was barely above a growl. "If you're going to be one of our pack, you need to understand that, with Derek, there is no option of losing."

"No option?" Adelaide leaned forward, questioning the commitment she just said she'd agreed to. "Is he that sore of a loser?"

"Not that, no," He shook his head slightly, the very side of his mouth twitching upward slightly. It was an endearing reaction, a smile that his body just wouldn't let him complete. "I mean, when it comes to this pack and Beacon Hills... Derek tends to get himself mixed up in a lot of... dramatic situations, to the say the least. If we were to lose, we wouldn't just be hurt. We'd be gone."

"Huh," She let out the sound on a breath as she fell back into her seat, tucking a piece of fiery hair behind her ear as it flew with the motion. Maybe dramatic is just a werewolf thing, but this was starting to sound an awful lot like her pack back home. No, she thought to herself, not home. Not anymore. But the quick transition from light conversation to serious warnings was a feeling she was quite familiar with. "Then I guess another pack member wouldn't hurt at all, would it?"

"You-" Isaac's face lit up as he registered what she said, his eyebrows creeping up toward his brow, "You'll still join us?"

"Of course I will. You know my past, I know yours, and now we both know an idea of our future." She winced at her own use of the word 'our'. Adelaide knew she couldn't just join a pack and start going for the most attractive werewolf there and she also knew that if she did, it wouldn't end well. Just like the last time. She'd have to pedal backwards somehow, sometime soon.

Thankfully, the pronoun didn't seem to phase the boy in front of her. Instead, he only breathed a sigh of relief.

"I just, I didn't want you to come into this not knowing what could happen. Not like I did, anyway." His eyes were dancing now, still as fixated on her face as hers were on his. "You wouldn't believe what I've seen so far. Did you know lizard people are possible?"

"Lizard people?" She took a sip of the drink she'd been neglecting so far so she could concentrate on the food.

"Yeah, something about the bite going wrong. Who knows what other creatures are actually out there. I mean, we're werewolves, right? What about the vampires? The witches? The...dragons!" This boy just could not stop talking, like a smaller boy raving about his Pokemon cards.

"Sounds a bit fantastical to me," Adelaide started to play with her straw, spinning it between her now decently clean fingers. "I mean, werewolves, yeah. We're pretty cool. And we can hide in plain sight. But dragons? They breathe fire. Not exactly something people could hide."

"Never rule out the impossible, Adelaide." He smiled again. When his lips slid to the side to reveal almost sparklingly white teeth, he looked like a mixture between a Greek god and the boy next door, both dangerously beautiful and like someone who would never harm a fly unless it were to protect you. And the smile, if it was real one and not like the ones he would flash towards his pack members as they ridiculed his past, would change his entire demeanor. The casually confident tilt to his shoulders would open up and fall back as his body responded, like he was getting ready to laugh but was waiting for the trigger to allow him to. And his hands, which were often balled up in fists at his sides like he wanted to make sure the claws would accidentally come out, were light and wide, a pianist's hands, that would come up as if to reach out and welcome others in.

All that, from a couple hours in a diner, laughing over greasy food. Adelaide had to watch herself now, she knew where this was headed. Even if, somehow, she and Isaac could be together... she barely knew him. She knew parts of his story but not all, and vice versa. She couldn't just keep diving head first into things. Silently she cursed her confident nature while trying to find a way to change the course of the conversation, away from the fantasy and back to reality.

"You said we were going to school tomorrow?" Adelaide pulled her straw out of her drink and rested the end of it, still covered in drops of the the sweet soda, on her bottom lip. "How is that going to work, exactly? I don't, you know, live here."

"Derek is probably handling it." Isaac leaned back in his chair, snatching a fry from her plate and tossing it in his mouth. He looked out at the dark parking lot, empty of any cars. "He doesn't trust you yet, but I think he's willing to give you a chance. You made a good impression, standing up to him like that. Not that you standing is really that powerful, given your height, but the idea was strong. He likes strong personalities." He looked back at her, proud of the combination of insult and compliment he'd just paid her.

"Har-de-har-har." Adelaide started chewing on the end of her straw now, annoyed but pleased. "I see the short jokes are just beginning. I won't get tired of that at alllll." She let the sarcasm drip there, her tongue poking out at him from beside the straw. "How will he handle it though?"

"You'll notice you no longer have your wallet in your pocket." He nodded with his head towards her.

Confused, she started patting all of her jeans pockets. Sure enough, the only thing in the pocket that usually held the bulge of her wallet held only a ten dollar bill which had probably fallen out. Well, at least she could still pay for her dinner... or whatever this meal could count as.

"He'll use your ID for a school picture and what not, hack into the school network and do some voodoo stuff and get you a student card. I'm not actually sure how it works, but Derek does take care of us." Isaac picked up the bill that she'd thrown onto the table after her search. "I'll go pay for the food, why don't you go...clean yourself up." He flashed her another award-winning grin and sauntered up to the counter.

After walking into the small, unisex bathroom, locking the door and looking into the mirror, she understood what he'd meant. She must've scared off the waitress when she'd brought the food from the way she looked (though Adelaide hadn't noticed since her hunger had taken priority over pride).

Her curly hair had inflated with frizz to look like a mane, almost every tendril was out of the now useless hair elastic near the nape of her neck. Though she'd wiped off her hands on the napkin, they were now just smeared with brown instead of coated. And when she paid attention to her face, ignoring the burns that crept up her neck towards her cheeks, the normally porcelain skin was dusted with brown as well, so that the dark blue of her eyes stood out like violet stamped into the dirt.

Turning on the tap in front of her, she slowly began to work off the dirt. First her hands, then her face, and as she worked down her neck she had to keep from wincing as she approached the bite mark on her shoulder, surrounded by the burns that twisted down her arms. She'd gotten used to the dull pain in her hands by now but the tender skin of her torso was less forgiving. It was so unusual, how slowly they were healing. Almost at a human pace. She couldn't fathom why these injuries, the burns as well as the bite, were so different, but she also didn't want to think about it. Not anymore.

Adelaide grabbed a paper towel, dabbing at her skin and wincing from the rough texture. On her way out the door, she threw it into the garbage bin and turned out the lights, desperate to be done with her reflection and facing what had happen, longing to be cleansed not only on the outside but inside as well.

As she walked out, she collided into a wall. Well, what seemed like a wall, was in fact a living, breathing, werewolf. Isaac laughed, looking down at her as she stumbling back from him.

"Took you long enough," He said, his voice now fully back to the musical quality it'd had before.

"Well, if you don't want to stink like a werewolf you do need to put some effort into it," she retorted, glad to have a distraction like Isaac.

"C'mon, let's go. You'll need some sleep before school in about," he twisted until he saw a clock above the table they'd just vacated. "six hours? You'll want to make a good impression on your first day."

"Oh hush," She pushed past him towards the door of the diner, which rung a small bell as she stepped outside. "I always make a good first impression."


	4. Chapter 4

There must be some sort of beautifying drug in the water of Beacon Hills. That was the only conclusion that Adelaide could come to as she walked through the halls of the high school for the first time, fighting the urge to cling to Isaac who was strutting alongside her. Almost every single person she passed was beautiful in one way or another, their abs sculpted or their hair falling down to their waist in waves like a waterfall. She settled for grasping at the strap of her backpack, an old canvas thing that Erica dug up for her, as she fought to keep her eyes from staring at the cliques huddled near lockers.

"You have the schedule Derek got for you?" Isaac inquired, breaking through her self-conscious inner narration.

"Oh, uhm, yeah," Adelaide fumbled as she drew it out of the front pocket of the bag. "Business first."

"Ah, you have class with Coach." Isaac plucked the paper out of her hands, reading the name. "Your teacher, I mean. He coaches the lacrosse team. He teaches gym as well, which, I see, you have just before lunch."

"Is he any good?" She was curious, "I've never had a coach teach me anything other than phys-ed."

"Yeah, I suppose. He's a bit of an idiot actually." He smiled to himself, looking down at her as they continued down the hall. Seeing the worried look that crossed her face at the comment, he closed the space between them and bumped her side with his, a friendly gesture. "Don't be scared. It's hilarious sometimes."

"If you say so." Adelaide twisted her hand on the strap and smiled back up at him. It was nice to have a friend of some sort going in to her first day. It was as if the event that has forced her here didn't even happen...

There. The scent again. Another wolf. Adelaide stopped in her tracks, twisting around to find the source.

"What is it?" Isaac asked from a couple steps away when he realized she wasn't by his side.

"I smell him," Her eyes were searching the hall. "I mean, the one without a pack. Scott, you said his name was?"

"Oh yeah," He tore his gaze away from her and toward the crowded hall. He raised a finger and pointed. "That's him."

She followed the line made by his hand and saw the eyes that she'd seen through the window just the other night. No longer yellow, but a dark brown. And now she could see the rest of his face. Tan skin, styled dark hair, and an endearingly uneven jaw. Beside the wolf was another boy, pale with dark hair and a boyish face, who seemed to be telling Scott a story, his whole body conveying whatever it was he had to say.

"Should we go say hi?" She suggested meekly, twisting up to look back at Isaac. "I mean, I know your pack doesn't seem to like him-"

"It's not that we don't like him," Isaac let out the words on a conflicted sigh. "It's that we don't know what to do with him. He won't join us, but he isn't our enemy. I trust him. But I also trust Derek... it's, uhm, complicated."

"I see," Adelaide said, turning back to the boy down the hall by an open locker. Not to her surprise, he was looking back at the two of them, ignoring his friend. He could hear them, no doubt. "And I see our presence hasn't gone unnoticed. Seems we don't have much of a choice now."

Without looking back to see if Isaac was following her, Adelaide crossed through the stream of students until she was in front of Scott. His friend faltered in his story as he saw what his audience had been looking at, and ultimately fell quiet. She looked expectantly up at Scott as she felt Isaac's presence soon behind her, a comforting feeling which gave her the confidence to put in the first word.

"I'm Adelaide," she stretched a hand out toward the werewolf boy. "I'm new. You must be Scott? I've heard quite a bit about you already."

"Adelaide..." Scott's brow furrowed as he stared back at her unblinkingly, trying to place the face for a moment, before realizing what he was doing. Awkwardly he accepted her hand and shook it once before dropping his back to his side. Suddenly, a look of realization fell across his face. "Oh, you're the one, the, uh, wolf, who passed my house last night. I thought I was just dreaming..."

"Not dreaming, no." She could feel her friend tensing up behind her at the familiarity. "Just passing through. Looking for the pack but got distracted, I guess."

The four of them now stood, all eyes on Adelaide, in silence. She couldn't blame them, this was quite the unusual conversation with no clear path for continuation. Instead of letting the quiet go on, she turned towards the paler boy and extended her hand again.

"I don't recall looking through your window at night, what's your name?"

"My name is," the boy turned suddenly, distracted by someone else who was passing, "Lydia!" He bolted down the hall after the figure.

"Lydia?" She giggled lightly, raising her eyebrows and looking toward Scott. "His name is Lydia?"

"No," Scott offered a half smile as Isaac came around from behind her and took the other boy's vacated spot against the locker. "That was Stiles. He's kind of got an agenda of his own."

"I thought he wasn't that into her anymore? Not after Jackson..." Isaac chipped in for the first time, seemingly comfortable with the conversation now.

"No, not really." Scott shook his head, dismissing the topic of the name Adelaide didn't recognize. "But that doesn't mean he still isn't desperate for her 'companionship', in one way or another."

Before Adelaide or Isaac could respond, a shrill ringing emitted from multiple parts of the hall way.

"Time for class?" She suggested once the noise stopped. She was the only one who winced at the reminder, Scott and Isaac must be used to it by now.

"Yeah," Scott closed what must be his locker, holding text books that hadn't been there a moment ago. "I've got Business, you?"

"Same," Adelaide smiled up at him before turning to Isaac, "And you?"

"Biology," he answered dejectedly.

"Oh," she was disappointed. It was nice that Scott could keep her company but she still wished... "I'll meet up with you for lunch, okay? By the doors of the caf?"

Isaac nodded in agreement then sauntered off down the hall, the confident tilt back in his walk that seemed more pronounced than before. She turned back to Scott.

"Shall we?" She held out an elbow towards him.

"I suppose we shall," Scott answered, taking her elbow in his.

Most of the seats in the class room were still empty by the time they arrived. Adelaide snagged a spot next to where Scott had dumped his bag and watched as the other students came filing in. Scott had gone off to talk to someone she heard him call Danny. She also heard mention of lacrosse practice sometime later in the week, which got them both talking excitedly. One at a time the seats around her started filling up.

When a tall girl with strong features and dark hair entered, Scott stopped mid sentence. He hurriedly resumed talking again, but the tension that resulted was almost tangible, only spiking Adelaide's interest. Her logic was that when you live life as a fairy tale creature, you're allowed to have a guilty pleasure like every day gossip.

The brunette girl took the seat behind Adelaide, diagonally behind Scott. Twisting in her seat, Adelaide prepared to make what seemed like the hundredth introduction in the past twenty-four hours.

"Hey," she gave the girl a grin that she hoped was welcoming. "I'm Adelaide. New here. What's your name?"

"Allison." The girl gave a small smile. She was staring determinedly to left side of the room, ignoring where Scott was. It was painfully obvious.

"Alright, what's the deal?" Adelaide wiggled her eyebrows jokingly, tilting her head to her right toward Scott.

"What deal?" Allison feigned ignorance, refusing to meet the new girl's eyes.

"Scott? I just met him, heard a lot about him before that. Didn't hear anything about you though. Did you just break up or something?" She knew that she was being forward, annoyingly so. But there was something about the tension between the pair that was just so enticing.

"Not that it's really your place, but yeah. Something like that." Allison dropped her head as she started digging through her own backpack, drawing out a pencil case and notebook.

"Okay, okay. I see I've hit a nerve. Sorry about that." She flashed a regretful smile. "It's just, when I get somewhere new, I want to dive right in. No need to test the waters, just get used to the situation your dealt. Y'know?"

"Not really."

So, this girl wasn't going to be fast best friends with Adelaide. That much was obvious. She nodded her head back one more time and spun back around in her seat to face the front, just in time to see the last student enter the room. One of the last people she expected to see.

Sera.

Adelaide felt her mouth drop open. The blonde with the dark eyes didn't seem to notice the ginger staring as she walked across the room and took her seat at the front of the class.

Sera, the girl who moved from Texas to Oregon a few months back, then a couple weeks ago moved again to, though she hadn't known at the time, here. The girl who commanded a room with her very presence and who held the attention of any boy she wanted, even those who were taken. What were the odds of her ending up in Beacon Hills, of all places? Two werewolf infested cities, where Adelaide would end up.

"Addy?" Scott leaned over from where he had just sat, done talking with his teammate. "You okay?"

Adelaide closed her mouth, embarrassed of her reaction but confused beyond belief. She was about to say something when a man, her teacher she supposed, walked in with a coffee mug that said "COACH RULES". Instead she just avoided Scott's eyes and nodded, pulling out her notebook and wondering what the hell just happened.


End file.
